4. The Concubine Who Seizes Power

Nilu hoped that I could take her and Kephiel to the distant and mysterious Merli United Kingdom to “temporarily hide.” To put it nicely, it was to hide; but to be blunt, it was just a return to what I often did back when I was the “Great Villain O’Keelid”—running for my life.

With such a reason alone, I might have to “resist” a bit more for the sake of the man’s pride, and immediately nodding in agreement would make me seem too useless in front of Kephiel and Nilu. However, with Nilu’s mention of a script related to fairies, I found myself unable to care about pride for a moment and quickly agreed to Nilu’s wish.

The “main storyline,” which had once stagnated, was now coming into play, right in the Merli United Kingdom where Nilu wanted me to hide. Moreover… this time, the “main storyline” appeared when Kephiel and Nilu’s relationship had already eased, making its significance all the more evident!

Without any hesitation, after Nilu arranged for some fairies to stay in the Rodma Empire to “watch over,” I immediately had Nilu respond and accept the invitation from Miss Rinka, the leader of the Merli United Kingdom. Then, we set off lightly, racing against the two white-haired fairies discovering our whereabouts, and before any changes could occur in this “main script,” we headed towards the distant kingdom known as the “Capital of Trade.”

On the road, at this moment.

The improved fully automatic unmanned vehicle, Pony Class VII, imported from the Pulus Kingdom, truly had some tricks up its sleeve. Not only had its speed increased, but it also featured a shock absorption system, and the annoying internal core that would blabber about our movements was gone. The special model was remotely controlled throughout by Kephiel’s fairy—Insight Fairy Ikaros.

Thanks to this, we not only enjoyed some snacks and chilled drinks on the way, but we also had enough comfort to discuss the upcoming matters. Although, the intelligence we had was not that abundant.

“I only know that the Merli United Kingdom is a kingdom located in the Far East and that they send people during the summit of nations; beyond that, I don’t know much.”

Kephiel shook her head. As the eldest daughter of the Great Ying Empire’s royal family, her contribution to such matters had been basically zero, so she passed. Although, I didn’t know much either.

“I’ve never fled to such a distant place before; I only know a little: the people there value wealth and trade, and many things can be easily resolved with money.”

“That’s too… uh, shameless!”

Clearly, the behavioral patterns of the Merli United Kingdom were hard for Kephiel to accept, having been raised with various good educations and not having much concept of wealth.

“Miss, you are too sheltered~ Sigh… Mr. O’Keelid, for such a person of the opposite s*x whose values are already difficult to align with, I suggest you part ways sooner rather than later.”

Nilu suddenly began her usual routine, and after Kephiel paused in confusion, she realized what was happening. Before she could explode, Nilu placed the chilled drink in front of me, effectively silencing Kephiel.

“Please enjoy.”

After bowing her head, Nilu took this opportunity to naturally sit beside me. Whether this was to explain things to us or simply to be close to me, I suppose only Nilu herself knew.

“The Merli United Kingdom seems mysterious due to its distant location. Our Rodma Empire has only come to understand a bit through multiple transactions with them. In short, it is a place adept at using money and trade to resolve issues, filled with strange goods for sale. As long as it is a mutually agreeable transaction, basically anything can be ‘bought,’ from tangible items to the ethereal and elusive, without exception.”

“This time, Miss Lin Ke wants to sell us something, and it’s just one of those things. By the way, Mr. Oujili, please don’t let the fact that she’s a pretty girl make you slack off in business negotiations! That Lin Ke is quite scheming; she didn’t just choose us, Rodma, as her buyer—she’s made ample preparations. If you let her beauty and charm soften your heart, you might end up losing everything, even your underwear.”

“Exactly!”

Only at times like this would Ke Fei’er stand firmly on the same side as Ni Lu.

It’s unfair, you two big shots! All I did was remember what Lin Ke looked like; how could I possibly have any soft-hearted thoughts?

“Precisely because of this, our journey must not only be light to avoid attracting too much attention from the various forces in that kingdom, but we also need to take certain measures to conceal our identities.”

Rarely, Ni Lu spoke very seriously about such matters, and she even considered Ke Fei’er.

Of course, I had to respond earnestly.

“Well… that makes sense. For example?”

Although I asked quite seriously, Ni Lu’s earlier attitude was actually a trap!

“For example, the three of us.”

Under my and Ke Fei’er’s serious questioning, Ni Lu smiled and raised a finger, “Mr. Oujili, you are the ‘Master,’ and Ke Fei’er is the ‘Madam.'”

Oh~ this works! A perfect relationship! And, hiss… Ni Lu, you’re actually willing to so openly refer to Ke Fei’er as ‘Madam,’ that’s quite rare!

“And you?”

Ni Lu smirked, “As for me, I’m just a concubine and maid who was favored by the drunken Master one night, and then attempted to usurp power.”

…That was a bit too detailed!

Ke Fei’er’s eyes twitched.

“Why add ‘concubine’!?”

Don’t be fooled, Ke Fei’er! What you should really be concerned about is why Ni Lu added the description of ‘attempting to usurp power’!

“Sigh~ Miss, I’ve already assigned you the identity of ‘Madam,’ what more could you possibly want? Greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant~”

“This… this identity doesn’t need you to arrange it, does it!?”

“Of course it’s needed~”

Amidst the bickering, Nilu suddenly lunged at me, leaning forward to look at Kephri. “Otherwise, with your performance, it’s more fitting to call you a ‘mother tiger’ who oppresses the male lead rather than ‘madam.’ By the way, let me add another setting: the male lead seeks comfort with the concubine because he can’t stand the oppression of the mother tiger~”

“Hmph! Even a mother tiger knows how to be gentle and protective!” Kephri, equally indignant, clambered onto me, countering Nilu. “Unlike some sneaky cats, who are good for nothing but tasting the forbidden!”

Um, ladies, could you take your argument to the seat across from me? I can’t move at all right now.

Besides, whether it’s a mother tiger or a sneaky cat, it doesn’t matter much to me. Because…

“The ‘prophecy’ is already for the two of you, there’s no need to fight over it.”

The script didn’t specify who the target was, so the most obvious implication is: this main storyline is for Kephri, and also… for Nilu.

My words immediately silenced both women.

Nilu looked at me with a hint of reproach. “Mr. O’Keefe, why do you keep casually using your…”

“Why not? After all, ‘death’ is already looming, right? If that’s the case, rather than living in fear, it’s better to fully utilize this ability at such a time.”

I glanced between the two women, Kephri and Nilu, these two beings capable of “defying fate” within their respective “scripts,” already by my side.

So…

“Use it if you want; after all, even if the content related to ‘death’ really comes…”

“It seems I have nothing to fear here, right?”

——

It’s the end of the month, everyone remember to cast your monthly votes, or they’ll expire soon.